As you know from my previous post, I’m one of the Maker’s of the Month for Concrete Wardrobe, in Broughton Street, Edinburgh. When James and Fiona invited me, it was suggested that I could design something special for the window. Well…where to start? My collection is mostly accessories, so I didn’t want to stray too far from that area. I fiddled around with ideas, and finally came up with a design for a cape. The definition of words is commonly a starting point for my work. Cape works well on two levels, not only as a ‘sleeveless outer garment fastened at the throat, and worn hanging over the shoulders’, but also as, ‘a point or head of land projecting into a body of water.’

The colours, textures and form of the cape were directly inspired by the coastal headland around Auchmithie, on the East coast of Scotland. It was my favourite beach when I was growing up.

It’s a pebble beach, covered in some of the most beautiful stones. I recently spent 3 whole days there recording the sound of the sea, collecting, photographing and making small site specific yarn related things.

……hand dyed yarn, found pebble and seaweed.

…..natural yarn, crocheted and attached.

…..abandoned boat, with the mist lifting.

You never grow out of looking for ‘stuff’ in rock pools. Although the weather was pretty poor with the haar off the water taking hours to clear, it was still a wonderful experience. It was very much a case of….to sea, but not seen.

As usual, most of my pictures were of the macro variety, leaving Alan to take some wonderful seascapes.

The resulting cape design consists of a combination of azure knitted felt, vintage checked tweed and some gorgeous self-coloured Harris Tweed, finished off with a wooden button. I hand dyed the silk lining to create an effect redolent of water ripples.

This cape is a one off never to be repeated design, and I have to say that I found it difficult to part with! I hope it finds a lovely home and is enjoyed by whoever buys it.